Leaders lay out timeline, framework for relief high school in southern Meck County

CHARLOTTE — Leaders have laid out a timeline and the framework that will be used to open a new high school in south Mecklenburg County, which could impact thousands of students in that area.

The new relief school is at the corner of Community House and Johnston roads. Soon, parents will get to weigh in on the plans.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said they are on track to open the 100-classroom high school for the 2024 to 2025 school year. It will help relieve overcrowding at several high schools, including Ardrey Kell, Myers Park, and South Meck high schools.

“To relieve the overcrowding, to relieve the traffic problems that we have as a result of that,” said Brian Schultz, CMS chief of operations.

But doing so also means CMS has to redraw boundaries and reassign students all across southern Mecklenburg County.

“It seems like we are always kind of operating behind the eight ball in terms of catching up with the growth and that’s certainly the case in south Charlotte,” Schultz said.

CMS kicked off the first stage of the process on Tuesday. District officials plan to educate the public on the need for it, come up with potential map scenarios, and get feedback from the community before the school board votes in late May.

Students at 28 elementary schools, ten K-8 and middle schools, and five high schools could be potentially impacted.

The following are some of the factors they will take into account:

• Contiguous boundaries
• Home-to-school distance
• Socioeconomic diversity
• Keeping entire neighborhoods at the same school
• Natural and manmade boundaries

“And I certainly do not want anything changing in the district for my son to have to, his senior year, go to a different school,” said Sharon Broderick, a Myers High School parent.

Myers Park is one of the most overcrowded schools in the state.

Despite that, Broderick said her son has thrived at the school.

“He’s active here,” Broderick said. “He has all his buddies here. He has his clubs here.”

CMS officials said families will get to express their concerns during community engagement sessions starting late March through April.

District officials are planning to build a new relief middle school in southern Mecklenburg County if a $2.9 billion bond makes it onto the November ballot and gets approved.

The first community engagement session will be on March 27 at Myers Park High School.

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